#*†~^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^~†*#
###†~^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^~†###
###†~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~†###
#†=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=†#
#***=~^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^~=***#
####*†=~^¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨^~=†*####
##*†~^^¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨^^~†*##
##†=^¨¨¨¨¨ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ¨¨¨¨¨^=†##
##††††=~^¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨^~=††††##
#####*†~^¨ ======================================== ¨^~†*#####
##†~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~†##
####*†=~^¨ JUST OFF THE COAST TO THE BALTIC SEA ¨^~=†*####
####*†=~^¨ THERE'S A FRESHWATER POND, SECLUDED ¨^~=†*####
##†~^^^^^¨ AMONG ASHEN AND JUNIPER. A CLEFT IN THE ¨^^^^^~†##
####*†=~^¨ LIMESTONE BEDROCK, SHARP-CUT FROM THE ¨^~=†*####
#**==~^¨¨¨ SURROUNDING PLAINS, A NINETY DEGREE ¨¨¨^~==**#
####*†=~^¨ DROP DOWN, DOWN, TO THE MIDNIGHT-BLACK ¨^~=†*####
##*†~¨¨¨¨¨ WATER. ¨¨¨¨¨~†*##
##*=~~^^^¨ ¨^^^~~=*##
####*†=~^¨ ~~~~††††††††~~~~ ¨^~=†*####
#**†=~~~^¨ ~~†† ††~~ ¨^~~~=†**#
###**†=~^¨ ~~~~~†† FAIRIES LIVE HERE. ††~~~~~ ¨^~=†**###
####*†=~^¨ ~~†† ††~~ ¨^~=†*####
#*††=^¨¨¨¨ ~~~~††††††††~~~~ ¨¨¨¨^=††*#
##††††=~^¨ ¨^~=††††##
####*†=~^¨ THEY SPEAK TO THE SLOANE, CARESS IT, ¨^~=†*####
###*†~¨¨¨¨ URGE IT TO GROW THICKER, TANGLED, WITH ¨¨¨¨~†*###
####*†=~^¨ LONGER AND SHARPER THORNS. THEY TELL IT ¨^~=†*####
#**=~^^¨¨¨ TO STAY JUST BELOW THE GRASS, SO THAT ¨¨¨^^~=**#
##**==^¨¨¨ THE ANIMALS WHAT COME TO DRINK THE ¨¨¨^==**##
####*†=~^¨ WATER CANNOT SEE IT BEFORE IT DRAWS ¨^~=†*####
####*†=~^¨ THEIR BLOOD. CLOSER TO THE POND, THE ¨^~=†*####
##†~~^^¨¨¨ SLOANE CAN GROW TALLER, BEING ABLE TO ¨¨¨^^~~†##
##**†=~~^¨ HIDE ALSO IN THE JUNIPER. ¨^~~=†**##
##†~^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^~†##
####*†=~^¨ THE FAIRIES WILL BECKON THE ANIMALS TO ¨^~=†*####
####*†=~^¨ PUSH FORWARD, TELL THEM THAT THEY'RE ¨^~=†*####
#**=^¨¨¨¨¨ ALMOST AT THE WATER, THAT THEY MAY ¨¨¨¨¨^=**#
#*=^¨¨¨¨¨¨ DRINK SOON. AND THEY WILL TUG ON THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨^=*#
####*†=~^¨ SLOANE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE THORNS CUT ¨^~=†*####
#####*†=~^ DEEP. WHEN THEY FINALLY FIND THE PATH ^~=†*#####
####*†=~^¨ DOWN BETWEEN THE ROCKS, AWAY FROM THE ¨^~=†*####
####*†=~^¨ BUSHWORK AND INTO THE CLEFT, THEY ARE ¨^~=†*####
####*†=~^¨ BLEEDING FROM A THOUSAND WOUNDS. AS ¨^~=†*####
##†~¨¨¨¨¨¨ THEY DRINK FROM THE DARK WATER, IT IS ¨¨¨¨¨¨~†##
##**=~~¨¨¨ IN TURN DRINKING THE ANIMALS BLOOD. ¨¨¨~~=**##
####*†=~^¨ ¨^~=†*####
#**††~^^¨¨ THE CIRCLE IS COMPLETE, THE CONTRACT ¨¨^^~††**#
##*†~^¨¨¨¨ CARRIED OUT; THE ANIMAL IS ABANDONED TO ¨¨¨¨^~†*##
####*†=~^¨ FIND ITS OWN WAY BACK. THE BUSHES ROOTS ¨^~=†*####
####*†=~^¨ DRINK THE NUTRUTIOUS WATER. THE FAIRIES ¨^~=†*####
####*†=~^¨ DANCE IN THE SUNBEAMS. ¨^~=†*####
###*=~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~=*###
####*†=~^¨ ======================================== ¨^~=†*####
####*†=~^¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨^~=†*####
##*††~~¨¨¨ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ¨¨¨~~††*##
####*†=~^¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨^~=†*####
####*†=~^¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨^~=†*####
##*†===~^¨ ¨^~===†*##
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